Microsoft Greenlights Gag Order Lawsuit
Microsoft says it plans to move ahead with a lawsuit filed against the U.S. government in June to affirm the right of businesses to disclose limited information about government demands for data made under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA).
In separate legal filings, Microsoft and Google challenged the gag order that typically accompanies FISA demands for customer data. The two companies asserted that they have a First Amendment right to publish the total number of FISA requests received and the total number of user accounts covered by such requests.
Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith said in a blog post on Friday that six times in recent weeks, Microsoft and Google have agreed to extend the deadline for the Department of Justice to respond to the companies' respective lawsuits, in the hope of reaching some accommodation. But, Smith said, the negotiations have ended in failure.
On Thursday, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence offered what the U.S. government presumably believes is an acceptable compromise: It agreed to release "the total number of orders issued during the prior twelve-month period" once each year, covering FISA orders and National Security Letters.
http://www.informationweek.com/government/policy/microsoft-greenlights-gag-order-lawsuit/240160686?cid=RSSfeed_IWK_ALL
I really hate it when Microsoft does something decent... I much prefer to just hate them.